Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 6.djvu/739

 THEORY OF IMITATION IN SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 725

Baldwin makes beliefs and desires functions of thought. 1 Finally, we have to note that Professor Baldwin develops a clear and consistent theory of the social process as a whole, which Tarde fails to do, however much he labors, and however much may be implied in what he says. Briefly stated, Professor Baldwin's theory may be thrown into four propositions, namely: (i) the matter of social organization is thoughts; (2) the method of their organization is imitation ; (3) these thoughts originate with the individual ; 2 (4) later certain of these thoughts are imitated, and so generalized, by society. 3

The above, it is believed, is a fair statement of the sociologi- cal theories of M. Tarde and Professor Baldwin, stripped of unnecessary details. Without denying or belittling in any way the importance of their contribution to psychological sociology, may we not question the finality of their interpretation of the process of the social life? Is their description of that process a faithful picture of reality? Does it adequately explain the social life, as we know it, on its psychical side? Are there not other elements, other factors, in the process than imitation, which our authors have overlooked? Are there not limitations to the imi- tation theory, however broadly conceived, which make it pro- foundly inapplicable in the interpretation of certain phases of the social life? Finally, is not a deeper interpretation of the social life-process possible which shall reconcile imitation with other plainly discernible factors in that process? These are some of the questions which we may legitimately raise without putting ourselves in the light of captious critics ; and as our dis- cussion proceeds, answers to some of them may become apparent. We shall confine ourselves mainly to Professor Baldwin's presen- tation of the theory, inasmuch as it is more fully and more logi- cally developed than M. Tarde's, and rests more upon observed facts.

Passing by the vagueness and "extreme generality" of the term "imitation" as employed by both our authors though it is well to note that with Tarde it denotes a process at some point of its development "conscious and voluntary," while with

l lbid., p. 488. 'Ibid., pp. 455 ft. * Ibid., pp. 466-8.